The Apotheosis Is Upon Us

the first thing in my notes is actually a list of the songs they played during the preshows that i was able to recognize; i have turned this into a spotify playlist that can be seen here! the last song wasn't played, it's just there because my brother (the one who played paul in his college's production) told me it was a paulcore song and he's right. if anyone else who went to the show remembers any other songs they played, share and i'll add them!

General notes

Show is still set in 2018

Characters' outfits are pretty much the same unless otherwise noted

Main set is grey buildings in a cartoonish style, blocky and simple, lining either wing of the stage. There are two balconies (one on the left and one on the right) that characters use (example: Charlotte and Ted when the affair is revealed to the audience)

There’s a big frame with lightbulbs in the back at the top of some stairs

Scene setting stuff that comes down from the ceiling: Clock set to 9:30 and overhead square lights (maybe a reference to the og run's backdrop?) for the office; coffee board for beanies; weird camo net stuff for oakly park (america's great again)

Starting with join us and die, the infected have blue drool running from their mouths; they use black light a few times and it glows

Let it out gets used as a background musical motif multiple times (mostly in act 1) leading up to the ending; not sure how many of these are new but it always gave me shivers

Act 1

[Opening number]

Song starts with actors posed in front of solid black scrim that then gets lifted up to reveal the set

There’s usually a second black screen covering the back stone wall but for the opening number it only comes down at the end

They double the length of the “did you hear the word” bit, lift Lauren and mime a train

Moment of choreo where Joey-Lauren and Will-Mariah are paired like couples

Also Corey and Mariah are paired together for the start of the second verse

It’s Bill and Emma who wheel Paul on (and Emma taps or boops him or something?); he’s slumped a bit and looks very dead-eyed in the chair until the song ends

[CCRP 1st scene]

Everyone sits in wheelie office chairs

Lots more intentionally awkward silences built in

Charlotte fully zones out even before Sam calls

Melissa’s clipboard has cat stickers on it; she's noticeably upset about Paul turning her down

Ted wheels on

[Beanies 1st scene]

Pastries names - Lords in Black (Jeff asks for a random one)

Pistachio Croissant

Necatrine Dough

Brown Butter Blondie

Wildberry Scone

Toffee Pecan Twist

Paul enters as Jeff is leaving; he says "the sign's bullshit" once in a subdued way, then repeats it to Paul at the door super loud while waving his arms, lmao

Paul stares awkwardly at the audience while in line, trying to pretend he isn't hearing the argument between Emma and Nora, but then when Emma she doesn’t like singing he turns to look at her and his eyes stay on her for the rest of the interaction. :)

When Paul leaves and realizes he forgot Bill's drink he's conflicted for longer (looks back where he came from a few times with a wincing expression) before going "ah, fuck bill"

[Pre-meteor montage]

Corey walks by Greenpeace Girl as Frank Pricely

Sam is in a leather jacket with many zippers; he moves weirdly robotically

Deb looks like a standard Dess Holiday fan design (iykyk)

Hidgens does jazz hands to the audience as he says "It's showtime!"

[La De Da Da Day]

Frank, Max and Ruth are there (plus a random woman in pastel blue and purple with a bucket hat played by Jaime)

Paul tells Greenpeace Girl he did relay for life every year when he was young

When Homeless Guy sings about dancing on the concrete he stumbles and starts falling, and Paul, despite how much he's clearly wanted to Not Be Here this whole time, instinctively goes to catch him and help him back up

There’s a bit where they crowd around Paul and it looks just like how the zombies surround Emma at the very end of the show. Diabolical.

[CCRP 2nd scene]

When Charlotte starts recounting the weird thing Sam did that morning a spotlight fades in on her and background music starts playing, but both comedically stop when Ted interjects

[What Do You Want Paul?]

This song and you tied up my heart are pitched lower (meanwhile not your seed is actually pitched higher)

When Paul starts saying what he might want he says “money, a house, kids maybe”, notably skipping partner — which actually makes a lot of sense, because the whole point is that he takes until act 2 to really admit that he wants Emma. That being said, the inclusion of “kids” without partner is. Interesting. (Also the partner line was bi Paul food. Rip)

Davidson chokes Paul with the phone cord

Davidson doesn’t actually forget what he wanted to tell Carol, he just chickens out (he tells her he forgot but then mouths to Paul that he didn’t)

[Beanies 2nd scene]

Roasted coffee choreo is the only one largely unchanged (other than one — see act 2)

Joey's Pete is in the back talking to a teen in a light blue colored shirt played by Will; Pete seems to encourage or dare Will's teen to do the tip for a song

The blue goo in the coffee pot looks so gross (/pos)

As the goo takes effect, the customers cough and crumble to the ground, lie there for a bit, then rise and sway jerkily when it’s time to sing

Paul grabs Emma from the middle of the stage and pulls her off with him

Hatchettown motif plays as they do the alley bit; as they're walking up and down the aisles in the audience Emma processes that she's unemployed with no savings and Paul reassures her that the job market will be good for a long time (lol)

[Show Me Your Hands]

The group tries to flee the cops by going off stage and when they enter again Ted seems to mouth “it’s a loop” (second show he gestured to the same effect); they probably do this as a subtle nod to the line since it’s cut from the ending

Pointed out to me by an anon ask: the lighting for part of this song uses a hexagon pattern. Hexagons, like honeycombs in a beehive.

They choreograph it like the gang gets forced into the cop car and then it crashes, lol; there's also a cool bit earlier where they're miming running in slow motion with injuries

When Charlotte gets through to Sam you see him trying to fight back as his arm raises to put his sunglasses back on. Ow.

[Arrival at Hidgens']

Hidgens has a conspiracy board with an upside-down pentagram drawn in string — see end of post

Also a painted portrait of himself.

When Hidgens shows off the dimmer Charlotte claps :)

She tries to get Sam’s legs to not be open, eventually crosses them

Ted generally seems to have more of a genuine soft spot for Charlotte and is more sad about Charlotte not going with him

[You Tied Up My Heart]

Lighting for part of his song is a pattern of blue stars and planets

No more uwu voice on “don’t you trust me?”, which I like as a change; for as funny as this scene is meant to be, playing the line straight grounds you back in what’s actually happening - the hive is manipulating her

Sam's hair fell off his head at the first show (apparently this happened opening night also, lmao). He tried twice to kick it so it would land on top of his head. It didn’t work

Two of the other actors come on in dark hoodies to lift Sam’s chair and Charlotte comments that he’s supposed to be flying

Comically large pauses in between the lines in the bridge before Sam pretends to die

During the kick your head convo right before Paul intervenes, bill downs a shot to get ready to fight, lmao. Also both times when he slapped Ted the audience cheered

[Join Us and Die -> end of act]

At the start you see Ted physically react to the music starting; this happens for some other characters in other places also

He’s the one who calls out that it’s Charlotte and is. Very distraught in the aftermath

Charlotte and Sam try to make Paul and Emma kiss

Charlotte steps on Ted's hand and for the rest of the act Joey mimed like his finger was broken

Hidgens shoots from balcony, then takes a while to come down while talking, actors look around confused, and then he emerges gun drawn, lol

The gang is somehow even worse at performing the Moana song than in the og

As Paul was telling Bill how impossible the task of saving Alice is (in the lead up to him saying “which is why I’m gonna go with you”), blue lights flickered at the top of the stage, with a sound?? Curious — This was in fact a mistake that was not replicated at the second show.

As Paul follows Bill off stage the curtains slowly close and Emma, standing center stage, slowly turns to look at audience (they close right before)

Act 2

[Hatchetfield High -> Not Your Seed]

Starts with the nerdy prides must die riff (and the title text on the curtains turns red like the NPMD logo)

They crawl into the school (which has the nighthawks banner up top)

Deb and bee girl start up in the balconies, then come down from the middle

Corey and Mariah’s performances through this whole bit are insane. Infected!Alice does a lot more to pull on Bill’s heartstrings (on "at least i was before you left me" she looks truly upset and then turns away and goes in a huff to the corner). He literally holds her in his arms for a bit of the second verse and rocks her back and forth (while she stares at the audience with unfeeling eyes). What the fuck. (Also they cut his interjections after Alice sings the lines about Deb)

Paul tries repeatedly to hold back & rescue Bill but Alice keeps pushing him away

At the end of the song Bill drops to his knees, the infected teens stand behind him, take the shotgun... and place it in his arms. They set him up to shoot himself. Diabolical

Paul pulls Bill to his feet and away from the gun, and is holding him by the shoulders when infected!Alice shoots him in the back. Bill collapses into Paul's arms. After Bill is on the ground Paul continues looking at him, distraught (seems to listen for heartbeat or check for pulse?), while the Hive do their bit. Really love that he gets more time to react to/process this

When the trio sings "I'm here" Mariah does a full riff, lmao

[Macnamara's interrogation of Paul]

Good staging and lighting where Paul and Macnamara are in front of the black screen with a trapezoid of light (a lamp prop hanging down), and they act purely within that smaller space

Background music is the prologue motif from Black Friday

Paul has - er, had - an iPhone 10

[Show Stopping Number]

Keyboard comes in on a platform on a trolley pushed by someone offstage; Hidgens does a bit where he starts sitting and Emma and Ted say no, then he starts standing and they say yes to encourage him, then he sits for real while they despair

Workin' boys choreo is mostly the same, other than the addition of Will imitating a clock ticking to five with his arms on the first “I can’t wait to get home”

The workin' boys are no longer wearing heavy jackets, good for them. They mime sports other than football (basketball, golf)

They still do the “should I take this chair” bit, lmao

[Ted's "change of heart" -> America's Great Again]

Ted’s better person monologue is a bit longer; he references Hidgens’ song specifically as having taught him how important friendship is

Joey has to kill so much time while Jeff changes from workin' boy to macnamara (Jon did similarly earlier before la de da da day, miming the process of leaving his house with sound effects); there's a good moment where he makes a joke and asks Paul what he thinks only to immediately remember that he left Paul behind. lol but also sad.

At the second show Jeff struggled a bit to pull the gun out of his holster and Joey had to slow down his line delivery slightly to help him out, lol

During the "final solution" bit of the song Paul and Emma are circled and mime a full conversation

Paul saves Emma from getting shot by Macnamara and then she immediately does the thing from the og where she saves him

There's also an earlier bit of choreo where they're frozen in a snapshot, separated, reaching for each other

[Helicopter -> crash]

Paul and Emma are in the balcony above Zoey; Paul wears an actual seatbelt, which he is surprised to find still on him after the crash

Emma goes to grab Zoey's arm and lift the gun rather than Paul kicking it

Flashing lights during the crash for a good 30 seconds while the actors flail around

The blood and rod going through Emma’s leg looks better; she groans in pain as Paul pulls her close, lmao

Paul gives Emma the gun to defend herself

A little bit of blood when they go to kiss, at least at the evening show

[Let It Out]

After "Let him come" the front scrim lifts to reveal they have a big ass meteor with Pokey's face carved in it at the top of the stairs in the back, plus a show banner for mama mia with a big hole through it

Paul enters from left audience aisle

“It doesn’t matter what I want” still kills me

Zombie bill full on like, hugs him from behind right after that line?? Fucked

The meteor glows (specifically on "and i know it's a singular voice"; it's the closest they come to naming pokotho)

Jon is so fucking good in this song. You can see him very slowly reacting like he’s started to hear the music, then very subtly feeling the influence on his body, then more actively fighting against it

Bit of choreo where Paul is stage right, everyone behind is in a line in different poses, and then he’s pulled along and makes each pose in sequence. Obsessed

THEY ADDED TO THE BIT OF THE SECOND CHORUS THAT WAS ORIGINALLY DEAD AIR (“You just gotta let it~”)

Blue fog comes in during the bridge

Paul slowly backs toward the meteor, the zombies slowly push towards him (and as the infection takes over he looks at them excitedly), then he finally grabs the grenade and holds that note gloriously

("god help me out" hits a bit different when he says it while standing in front of an effigy of a lord in black's face.)

The zombies sing “we will not be resisted” to the nightmare time motif

Paul slowly falls to the ground on his elbows and knees after pulling the pin :(

["Epilogue" -> Inevitable]

Emma here at the end is wearing a white shirt that’s not her beanies shirt. In the opening she wasn’t wearing her beanies tie yet, which it turns out was to match up with this (Mariah and Jaime also have time to change from the nurse and colonel to Melissa and Charlotte for Inevitable so everyone else is also dressed how they were in the opening).

The house lights are at least partly on for this bit to make it feel like the show is really over (and foreshadow that we're part of what happens next)

So different in the audience when Paul comes on compared to original recording. There everyone’s so excited. Here? There’s a couple awws, but other than that, dead silent. So so tense in the room. (This was less true the second time but still)

She says “Paul!” And he shakes his head as he walks up to her and she runs to him. (He did not do this the second time, just smiled. Which makes me remember when Jon said in the og run he would play inevitable!Paul some nights as actually being fully infected and others as just playing along or still having some humanity in him, and wonder. Curtain call goes against this idea though)

As the song goes on they lift the black curtain to show the main set, and the bits that got lowered from the ceiling into the backdrop before are now all just in view, including the meteor. Then further in they lift the very back black curtain to show the brown brick wall

During show stopping number's reprise is when Emma seems to become aware of the audience (fulfilling the foreshadowing from the very end of act 1), as the lights come up on us again. She lets out a hell of a scream.

Emma remains aware during the bows; the others (including Jon/Paul) mime congratulating each other and chatting about how the performance went as she’s dragged off (she specifically appeals to the pit for help, lol)

There's one last thing I noticed during the show that I want to mention here at the end: Hidgens' conspiracy board, with the pentagram? The points are labeled with the black altar locations. And at the second show I was sitting in the second row, so I got a pretty good look at them (that's also how I saw all the pastry names).

The top left (looking at it from the audience) had a photo of an old house, so def the Waylon Place; The very bottom point had a photo of a lit up arc-shaped marquee, so almost certainly the Starlight Theater (which tracks with downtown having been overrun by the infection first); The middle left point had a note that I believe read "Lakeside", which would be the mall; And the two on the right I'm much less confident about, but I believe the one on the top was Hatchetfield High (which makes sense to me to be closer to the Waylon Place because of npmd), and the one at the middle right point was CCRP. So, for any future maps people want to make of Hatchetfield, we can use these locations' now known relative positions to each other as a base!